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Michael Russell's The City Under Siege - Review

The City Under Siege The City Under Siege by Michael Russell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The hunt for a serial killer hiding in the shadows of war.

Journeying between home and London in the midst of the Blitz, Inspector Stefan Gillespie is requested to assist in investigating the murder of an Indian nationalist.

His brutal murder bears startling similarities to murder in Ireland which Stefan himself previously reviewed, as well as to several other murders of gay men in England.

The killer strikes again - this time on the island of Malta, currently suffering attacks from the German and Italian air forces. As the hunt for a killer moves to this island under siege, danger lurks around every corner as well as from the skies above.

'The City Under Siege' is the sixth book in Michael Russell's Stefan Gillespie series of historic crime thrillers set during the Second World War. An immersive, slow-burning police procedural, set in 1941, it captures you from the opening scenes, the narrative woven seamlessly, driven by the investigation into a series of brutal murders. The historical and political landscape of the War share centre-stage with the police investigations in each novel, part of the magic and brilliance of the series. Paranoia, distrust and the shady world of espionage forever lurk in the corners.

Stefan is deeply morally driven, something that may at times be at odds with the desires of his superiors in Ireland's Special Branch. Taking the path for justice is not always the easiest to tread, particularly in times of war, a war in which Ireland is insistent on displaying the face of neutrality. The subplot of Stefan's personal life also continues to develop from previous novels - his son growing up, much of which Stefan is missing. It is through the fleeting glimpses of this family life that we can feel Stefan's distance and dislocation, and his quiet struggle to come to terms with that.

Through the investigation into the murders, attitudes of the period towards homosexuality are explored - attitudes that allow a killer to operate almost unnoticed and avoid apprehension, to go on to kill again. Chillingly, we can recognise some of that culture still unchanged to this day. It was also particularly interesting to explore the perspective of India, which is relatively rarely seen in the context of the War, as well as aspects of the nation's position as a colony of the British Empire, including colonial policing and the nationalist movement for independence.

The depiction of Malta during this period is vivid, conjuring the beauty of the island as well as the terror presented from the skies and surrounding nations, and the dark underbelly of the cities. Well-written, detailed and impeccably researched, the novel does not shy away from the brutality of either the crimes or the ongoing war, all contributing to a tense and sometimes bleak atmosphere, maintaining finely-drawn suspense and a gripping psychological depth that leave you yearning for more. This may be my favourite of the six books so far, though the series is of such high quality it's difficult to make that distinction.

Engrossing and atmospheric, 'The City Under Siege' is historical crime fiction at its finest, a riveting portrait of a time departed, bathed in intrigue and mystery.

The seventh in the series, 'The City Underground', is due to be published this summer, with an eighth also promised!



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